April 2019 Power PE Exam

[Zach Stone P.E.]

did anyone get the dreaded survey after the exam?  it almost certainly means you failed - NCEES looks to gather info from the non-passing test takers.

the one time i failed i got it, when i passed i didn't receive it.  hopefully none of you already failed.

This is false. Please don't give anyone a reason to be any more fearful then they have to be. Everyone in this thread has already been through enough as it is. 

I hope everyone is enjoying having their personal time back now that they can take a break from studying. Results will be out soon enough, try to enjoy the extra quiet time and don't get too wrapped up into "woulda shoulda coulda's" 

 

[ME_VT_PE]

This is false. Please don't give anyone a reason to be any more fearful then they have to be. Everyone in this thread has already been through enough as it is. 

I hope everyone is enjoying having their personal time back now that they can take a break from studying. Results will be out soon enough, try to enjoy the extra quiet time and don't get too wrapped up into "woulda shoulda coulda's" 

Dude, you're doing it wrong

 

[fyrfytr310]

Dude, you're doing it wrong

 

[GPBurdell_91]

This was my first time taking it (April 2019) after being out of school for roughly 28 years.  My work experience is 100% on the Utility side of Power, so no prior background with NEC.  My personal take is that the morning session was rougher than the afternoon, but maybe we don't all get these in the same order.  Did not manage my time well on the AM session, but finished early on the Afternoon session and had time to go back and review.  Hopefully, that balances out.  I think they far exceeded their published percentage of NEC-related questions on this exam, but that's not all bad, if you learn where to look.  I'm curious if anyone else feels like the AM was the more challenging portion of the exam and if topics covered in the AM/PM sessions are the same at all testing locations.  I'd also agree with other comments that there were some topics that were completely unpredicted.  Not a lot, but a few that were not in any practice or review classes that I took.

Good Luck to everyone waiting on April Results!

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

This was my first time taking it (April 2019) after being out of school for roughly 28 years.  My work experience is 100% on the Utility side of Power, so no prior background with NEC.  My personal take is that the morning session was rougher than the afternoon, but maybe we don't all get these in the same order.  Did not manage my time well on the AM session, but finished early on the Afternoon session and had time to go back and review.  Hopefully, that balances out.  I think they far exceeded their published percentage of NEC-related questions on this exam, but that's not all bad, if you learn where to look.  I'm curious if anyone else feels like the AM was the more challenging portion of the exam and if topics covered in the AM/PM sessions are the same at all testing locations.  I'd also agree with other comments that there were some topics that were completely unpredicted.  Not a lot, but a few that were not in any practice or review classes that I took.

Good Luck to everyone waiting on April Results!

I personally thought the AM was easier. I work with utilities but don't reference any of the codes too often. But I also basically hoped for code questions since that's historically been a strong section for me. 

 

[Takk90]

This was my first time taking it (April 2019) after being out of school for roughly 28 years.  My work experience is 100% on the Utility side of Power, so no prior background with NEC.  My personal take is that the morning session was rougher than the afternoon, but maybe we don't all get these in the same order.  Did not manage my time well on the AM session, but finished early on the Afternoon session and had time to go back and review.  Hopefully, that balances out.  I think they far exceeded their published percentage of NEC-related questions on this exam, but that's not all bad, if you learn where to look.  I'm curious if anyone else feels like the AM was the more challenging portion of the exam and if topics covered in the AM/PM sessions are the same at all testing locations.  I'd also agree with other comments that there were some topics that were completely unpredicted.  Not a lot, but a few that were not in any practice or review classes that I took.

Good Luck to everyone waiting on April Results!

I felt the same. Morning session was more challenging compared to the afternoon session. Did not expect to see so many NEC questions.

 

[nyeit]

I felt the same. Morning session was more challenging compared to the afternoon session. Did not expect to see so many NEC questions.

I guess everyone's background is different even though we are all electrical.  I find the morning to be easier compared to the afternoon.  Certain there are some afternoon questions that I never studied so I had to look at my reference books to understand the topic before I can make informed guesses.  I just wish that I know the result by now.  

 

[RadioBox]

The morning session was definitely  easier compared to the afternoon.  When it comes to the code those are the questions not to miss points on. You have to really study it in depth before taking the exam so you can attain as many easy points that you can get. When I saw people carrying the regular NEC book,  and not the current handbook I automatically assumed that they did not due their due diligence and they will fail that topic if not the exam.

 

[RadioBox]

Results should be posted second week of may.

 

[daydreambeliever]

When I saw people carrying the regular NEC book,  and not the current handbook I automatically assumed that they did not due their due diligence and they will fail that topic if not the exam.

I work with people who can find things faster in the codebook than I can in the handbook. They have 15+ yrs experience on me but still. 

 

[fyrfytr310]

The morning session was definitely  easier compared to the afternoon.  When it comes to the code those are the questions not to miss points on. You have to really study it in depth before taking the exam so you can attain as many easy points that you can get. When I saw people carrying the regular NEC book,  and not the current handbook I automatically assumed that they did not due their due diligence and they will fail that topic if not the exam.

I was an electrician for years before getting into engineering.  I can more easily navigate the standard book than the handbook and do not need all the examples offered in the latter.  I had no issues with the code questions.  I would say your automatic assumption is false.

 

[fyrfytr310]

I felt the morning was harder than the afternoon but not drastically so.  There was one really odd ball question in the morning that took me aback but I felt all the others were fair.  Don't confuse that with confidence....  I just said the questions were fair not that I got them right.

 

[RadioBox]

I felt the morning was harder than the afternoon but not drastically so.  There was one really odd ball question in the morning that took me aback but I felt all the others were fair.  Don't confuse that with confidence....  I just said the questions were fair not that I got them right.

I get the sense that you failed this exam cycle. Brace for the bright red logo in a couple of weeks. Heheheh

 

[Bmacklin]

When I saw people carrying the regular NEC book,  and not the current handbook I automatically assumed that they did not due their due diligence and they will fail that topic if not the exam.

I'd be willing to wager those carrying the code book were much more knowledgeable than you.  The handbook has a lot of extra fluff that will slow you down.  If you dont reference the NEC regularly, sure, you would likely be better off bringing the handbook along.  If you use NEC regularly, no need for the handbook.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

The morning session was definitely  easier compared to the afternoon.  When it comes to the code those are the questions not to miss points on. You have to really study it in depth before taking the exam so you can attain as many easy points that you can get. When I saw people carrying the regular NEC book,  and not the current handbook I automatically assumed that they did not due their due diligence and they will fail that topic if not the exam.

The codes & standard section of the exam has been my strongest area each time I've taken the test. Using the code book. My company buys the code book, not the handbook. 

I wouldn't make assumptions about people's due diligence. 

 

[roy167]

Code book has less pages, easy to navigate/handle.  Graphics in handbook wasn't much helpful at least for the exam I took in 2019. If you are some what familiar, which everyone should be familiar before going in for PE exam, I think code book or hand book makes no difference. In fact, due to less volume, code book may be easy to navigate. On an exam day, you are looking to answer 10-12 questions. As long as you can do that quickly and efficiently then that's all that matters. Only issue I have with code book is printing is not the greatest/sharp. So if your eyes are sharp then this is non issue. 

I bought handbook based on the recommendation but in hindsight, could get the same result with code book. 

I have the code book in my office, that's how I know.  

 

[pcanning87]

Code book has less pages, easy to navigate/handle.  Graphics in handbook wasn't much helpful at least for the exam I took in 2019. If you are some what familiar, which everyone should be familiar before going in for PE exam, I think code book or hand book makes no difference. In fact, due to less volume, code book may be easy to navigate. On an exam day, you are looking to answer 10-12 questions. As long as you can do that quickly and efficiently then that's all that matters. Only issue I have with code book is printing is not the greatest/sharp. So if your eyes are sharp then this is non issue. 

I bought handbook based on the recommendation but in hindsight, could get the same result with code book. 

I have the code book in my office, that's how I know.  

I typically use the handbook at work, but brought both (I know there really wasn't much need for that). My company has a bunch of each and didn't mind me taking them for a day. I'm lucky on the code sections in that I work with the NEC regularly. But I still had to study a decent amount for motors and other sections that I don't use at work, especially since my field (PV) is relatively narrow and specialized. There were also at least one or two off-the-wall code questions that I feel there was no way to prep for besides knowing the overall structure of the NEC.

 

[fyrfytr310]

 There were also at least one or two off-the-wall code questions that I feel there was no way to prep for besides knowing the overall structure of the NEC.

This is it right here.  When I was taking multiple journeyman tests back in my electrician days, knowing the structure and keywords meant absolutely everything for passing.  No different with the code section of the PE.

 

[RadioBox]

I get the sense that you failed this exam cycle. Brace for the bright red logo in a couple of weeks. Heheheh

Obiviously, I'm joking. I'm rooting for all of us.

 

[RadioBox]

I am not an electrician, and in my opinion the handbook is better for P.E. type questions. First time test takers take my advice and use the handbook